Some people just seem to have unlimited money

Desperado99

I don't think anyone really knows what goes on in other people's homes...... and many people probably think people with a lot of 'stuff' must have a lot of cash (and sensibly, we all know that's not necessarily the case).

I remember after my mum died, a couple of people moaned at my dad to stop spending her money :mad:. Dad had had the garden hard lanscaped as he worked away and didn't have time to keep it tidy, and he also had the kitchen done. What people didn't get, was that there was no big inheritance....... Dad, all of a sudden had no dependants (we had all recently left home and married) and was still on his income that had kept a family of five.

Doom_and_Gloom

FBaby wrote: »

I suspect (maybe wrongly!) that the OP was referring to people who do have a similar lifestyle to hers, yet seem to have more disposable cash.

When I went through that same stage of puzzlement where I always seemed to be able to afford less than others who seemed to have more money despite a lower income, I also didn't drink or smoke (still don't!), had a car on finance, bought all the kids clothes at Tesco or Sainsbury (and always on sale!), bought mine at charity shops etc... and still they seemed to be better off than me!

However, some have suggested the most likely reasons, benefited from good investments at the right time, maybe a redundancy package just before getting another job, inheritance... and as I've discovered, credit cards/remortgage/loans.

It probably is to do with when they bought their house though. There is a huge difference between buying in the 90's and buying in 2000+. Someone who bought in the 90's would easily have much more money to spend than those who bought in 2000+ even if they are on the same wage.

People wouldn't know it but my ma uses coupons every now and then - mostly when I see ones I know she will use but we won't and I give them to her but she has been using newspaper ones in the last few months anyway. My ma also buys things when reduced - 1 freezer out of the 2 they have is mostly filled with reduced meat :rotfl:. They go on at least one holiday a year abroad but they pay a lot less than what people would expect. I learnt my love of buying deals from my parents.
The thing is though my parents would have a better life overall than someone who bought 10 years after they did, weren't able to get the same investments etc. and the person 10 years after them wouldn't have the same to show for it - it wouldn't matter if the other person earnt the same all the way through were the same age etc.

GobbledyGook

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

It probably is to do with when they bought their house though. There is a huge difference between buying in the 90's and buying in 2000+. Someone who bought in the 90's would easily have much more money to spend than those who bought in 2000+ even if they are on the same wage.

This is so true. when the ex and I split up 2 years ago friends of ours had a very similar house, but because they'd bought in 2007 their's was nearly £600 a month more in a mortgage. The difference is unbelivable.

We bought our house cheap because it needed work. When we done the work the house was worth double because it needed so much. It's now 'worth' over double that again because of house prices. (I put 'worth' because I don't think it's worth that. I think the house prices are just mental).

Desperado99

GobbledyGook wrote: »

This is so true. when the ex and I split up 2 years ago friends of ours had a very similar house, but because they'd bought in 2007 their's was nearly £600 a month more in a mortgage. The difference is unbelivable.

Absolutely. We were lucky enough to buy in the 90's, the houses either side of us are rented out for over twice the monthly cost of our mortgage.

FBaby

A trip to the debt free wanabees and you get an insight on the debts people have built up, loans, which could be for anything, but also, Next CC, M&S CC, gaz/electricity debts, council tax debts. Most seem to have sky and pay £35 per person for mobile contract, which of course they can't get out of.

Not saying it is the case for everyone, but there are definitely those who just live way above their means.

Marisco

FBaby wrote: »

A trip to the debt free wanabees and you get an insight on the debts people have built up, loans, which could be for anything, but also, Next CC, M&S CC, gaz/electricity debts, council tax debts. Most seem to have sky and pay £35 per person for mobile contract, which of course they can't get out of.

Not saying it is the case for everyone, but there are definitely those who just live way above their means.

TBH I stopped going on the DFW board as I was getting so annoyed! We are supposed to "be nice" to them, when all I felt like saying was "well it's your own bloody fault for spending too much"!!! On the very things you mention above, and when someone says to get rid of Sky, drop a tariff on the mobile, stop the "entertaining" etc, the come back is "but we have to have something" So I thought it best to take myself off it!!!

BitterAndTwisted

Hehe, I had a conversation precisely like that just before Christmas on the DFW forum with a young man who had covered the whole of the mortgage payments of the half a million property he bought with his brother because he'd been unemployed for a while. That's horribly unfortunate but he mentioned the possibility of going bankrupt. Once he'd posted up his SOA it became clear that they had SEVENTY GRAND OF EQUITY EACH. Plus his Mum was paying their utility bills from her pension credits. He was running a car and his SOA revealed that he was also paying for a public transport season-ticket to get to work. I asked him to seriously consider getting shot of the car in the short-term while they both got their temporary cash-flow issues sorted out. His response was that they needed it to get around.

The thought of running a car I patently didn't need while my Mum paid my lighting and heating-bills from her pension-credits made me want to cry. And punch him in the face.

Luckily there are more rather receptive and flexible people on there who really are willing to listen to the voice of experience.

JulieGeorgiana

Marisco wrote: »

TBH I stopped going on the DFW board as I was getting so annoyed! We are supposed to "be nice" to them, when all I felt like saying was "well it's your own bloody fault for spending too much"!!! On the very things you mention above, and when someone says to get rid of Sky, drop a tariff on the mobile, stop the "entertaining" etc, the come back is "but we have to have something" So I thought it best to take myself off it!!!

I was just ranting at DH about this today!!!

How boring is life if you feel you NEED sky TV and it's your 'only' entertainment!!!! Take yourself off for a walk, sightsee.... then go home for some family time! Play games, puzzles... then send the kids to bed early and have some adult time!

Might stop half the problems on the Marriage Board too!

How can you have HUGE debts and ask for help if you are just not willing to cut back and work hard to sort it out!

B&T As to that guy and his car... His poor mum! I could cry!

BitterAndTwisted

I suspect that some people feel they are in so deep that cutting thirty quid a month on something is just a drop in the ocean and therefore not worth doing. However, what you and I know is that it was the cumulative effect of those many "trivial" thirty quids which caused all the trouble in the first place.

However, I don't want my rather harsh comments to mislead anyone unto believing that I'm some financially astute wizard. I've had debts in the past and have one now, albeit miniscule but it still causes me worry because I'm unemployed at present so have no way of clearing a couple of hundred quid at a stroke. I'm just not adding to it as that would be foolish in the extreme.

pimento

guitarman001 wrote: »

OP, £50k's pretty good - what does your husband do?

Perhaps the OP earns £50k, she doesn't mention a husband.

I'm the sole earner in our marriage, coming in at just under £50k. My husband earns nothing.

Never presume.